In the pre-war era, when numerous communities had cultivated their own rich histories and distinctive traditions, a multitude of diverse liturgies existed, with each region and tradition adhering to its own unique nusach. While today many of these nusachs have been consolidated into the Sephardic, Ashkenaz, or Sfard versions, a wealth of other significant and singular customs once flourished. One such nusach, now preserved mostly in memory, is the Italian nusach – an offshoot of the ancient Land of Israel minhag – bearing notable affinities with the nusach of the Romaniote Jews of Greece and the Balkans.
In the mid-nineteenth century, amid widespread migration across the European continent, there arose a palpable concern regarding the waning interest in the Italian nusach. In response, Rabbi Samuel David Luzzatto (1800-1865), known by the Hebrew acronym Shadal, undertook a mission to revive and preserve the nusach’s former prominence. He published an elegant and comprehensive set of machzorim for the entire liturgical year, faithfully adhering to the venerable Italian nusach – a copy of which I had the privilege of acquiring recently. At the outset of each volume is an “Introduction to the Machzor of Bnei Roma,” authored by Shadal. This preface, which was also independently printed in the same year, retains profound significance and continues to be of paramount importance to this day.
This nusach has many unique features. For example, On Friday nights, the Maariv Aravim and Emet VeEmunah blessings are recited using a distinctive text tailored for the Sabbath. Psalm 20 is not included between Ashrei and Uva Letzion. Instead, it is incorporated into the extended Tachanun recited on Mondays and Thursdays. On weekdays, the Torah scroll is returned between Ashrei and Uva Letzion.
Aleinu is never recited during Mincha. However, according to the earliest edition of the Machzor from 1486, Aleinu is indeed recited on erev Yom Kippur when Mincha is observed earlier in the day. This precedent suggests that Aleinu should always be recited when Mincha is scheduled early.
The phrase “le’eila le’eila” is consistently recited in every Kaddish. Kol Nidrei (Kol Nedarim) is traditionally recited in Hebrew, as opposed to Aramaic. In accordance with the original custom, the Kedusha in all prayers (including Shacharit and Mincha) begins with the “Keter” form.
Despite being a predominant liturgical tradition among Italian Jews, the Italian rite rarely extended beyond Italy’s borders, unlike other prayer rites such as the Sephardic rite, which spread widely due to the expulsions of the Spanish Jews, or the Ashkenazic rite, which gained traction in new regions starting in the 19th century. The Italian rite remained largely confined to Italy, with only a few notable exceptions where it reached communities in the Middle East. For instance, Italian synagogues were established in cities such as Constantinople and Thessaloniki, where they thrived until World War II, as well as in Safed during the 16th and 17th centuries. Today, even in Italy, the Sephardic nusach is widespread, particularly in the South and Central Italy, where the local Jewish community is mostly of Libyan or Middle Eastern Origin.
